# Build America, Buy America Act

When the federal government spends taxpayer money on infrastructure projects—like building roads, bridges, water systems, or airports—this bill says that money should be used to buy American-made materials. Specifically, it requires that any iron, steel, or manufactured products used in federally funded infrastructure projects must be produced in the United States, with very limited exceptions.

The bill applies to a wide range of infrastructure programs across different federal agencies. This includes highways, public transportation systems, ports, railroads, airports, water treatment facilities, electrical grids, broadband networks, and building projects. If a state or local government receives federal funding for any of these types of projects, they would need to use American-made materials or get special permission not to. The law gives federal agencies 180 days to put this requirement into place for all their infrastructure programs.

There are a few situations where agencies can make exceptions. They can waive the American-made requirement if using domestic products would be against the public interest, if American-made versions of needed materials simply don't exist or aren't available in sufficient quantity, or if using American materials would increase the project's cost by more than 25 percent. However, any waiver has to be specifically tied to a particular product for a particular project—agencies can't issue blanket waivers that apply broadly. Before granting any waiver, agencies must publish their reasoning publicly and allow people to comment.

The practical effect is that infrastructure projects funded with federal dollars would prioritize American manufacturers and workers. Supporters argue this keeps taxpayer money circulating in the U.S. economy, supports American jobs, and ensures projects meet American environmental and safety standards. Critics might worry about higher costs or potential complications with international trade agreements, though the bill includes language saying it should be applied consistently with America's international obligations.

Build America, Buy America Act

Ryan, Tim

Build America, Buy America Act This bill requires federal infrastructure programs to provide for the use of materials produced in the United States. Each federal agency must submit to the Office of Management and Budget and to Congress a report that identifies each federal financial assistance program for infrastructure administered by the agency and (1) identify domestic content procurement preferences applicable to the assistance, (2) assess the applicability of such requirements, (3) provide details on any applicable domestic content procurement preference requirement, and (4) include a description of the type of infrastructure projects that receive funding under the program. Each agency shall ensure that none of the funds made available for such a program may be used for a project unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States, subject to waivers where inconsistent with the public interest, where not produced in sufficient quantities or satisfactory quality, or where such inclusion will increase the cost of the project by more than 25%.